What Now

My “Now with Alex Wagner” Take on the how the President has a second chance to fulfill some first-term promises.

ALEX WAGNER: Both men chose to focus on unity at a moment when it could have been about a victory or a defeat. And, instead, the message is let’s carry this forward. We’re still one United States of America.

MARK HALPERIN: You know, I think all of us have respect for both of them and have seen both of them act like that in their careers — not so much though during the campaign itself. If those two guys had waged the campaign I think we would have had a better and more uplifting campaign and the winner would have had more of a mandate than I think the President has. He still has a big mandate. I think he’s got tons of running room on the Left. ObamaCare is now going to be implemented. So, that alone is a historic achievement for progressives. And, the big things the President wants to do now, he’s got to deal with the grand bargain. That’s going to require running room from the Left, without a doubt, because the House is controlled by the Republicans. But, climate change, which he brought up yesterday after not bringing it up much as a candidate, immigration, which he brought up selectively as a candidate, those are two things progressives would love to see. So, those are the three big items and I think the prospect of unity is the great opportunity of the Fiscal Cliff, which is otherwise filled with peril. If he doesn’t solve it, I think this term could be very rough. If he does, I think he could have an even more productive term and a term more in keeping with the promise of a bipartisan presidency in 2008.